Hearbreak and Victory
by Gilana1
Summary: [Otabek Altin Week 2018 - Day Two: Olympics] Yuri gets injured before the Olympics, and can't compete, so Otabek competes for both of them. Rating for light angst and mild language. Not beta read.


**A/n:** Day Two of Otabek Altin Week from last year that I forgot to post. Written for a friend and beta. Not related to Day One.

**Hearbreak and Victory**

Otabek looked down at Yuri as soon as he hit the ice and knew immediately something was wrong. Every skater falls, no matter how good they were. It just happened from time to time. Yuri fell sometimes but always got back up, more determined than before. Since he was going through a major growth spurt at the moment, his jumps hadn't been quite as secure as before, but he was still a force to be reckoned with.

This time, it had almost looked like Yuri's blade had skid before coming out from underneath him, landing the blond on the ice hard. It had happened so fast, it was hard to tell. All he knew was that one minute he looked fine, and the next minute, his little love had fallen and had not gotten back up.

Otabek immediately skated over to him, his heart pounding so loud. "What's wrong, Yura? What happened?" Yuri shook his head, wincing as he tried to push himself up, and unable to. It seemed to be his right hip which was given him trouble. "Okay, kitten, let's go. I'm taking you to the hospital." He gently picked him up, careful to keep his hip as still as possible. Viktor and Yuuri immediately followed, helping him take off Yuri's skates as he carried him to Viktor's car.

All the while, Yuri was whimpering and crying. "I can't, I have to be okay, the Olympics are next month, I have to, I have to…" he would whine, burying his face into Otabek's chest. It broke his heart seeing his love like this and knowing there was nothing he could to help him. Even a minor injury would most likely mean he was out of the Olympics.

The timing could not have been worse.

The prognosis wasn't good. It was a hip sprain. Yuri would be off the ice for months. Next season would most likely be okay, but it would be at least six months before he was back to normal. The Olympics and Worlds were out of the question, as he would likely not even be able to walk for at least a couple months. In a split second, Yuri's season had ended just like that.

Yuri barely spoke the entire way home. As Otabek got him settled in on the couch with the television and his laptop, Yuri was mostly quiet. It worried him, because that was unlike him. Otabek sat next to him, wrapping his arm around him. "What I can do for you, kitten?" he asked.

Yuri shook his head. "I - I don't know," he said, his voice quiet. "I just… I don't know what to do. How… how am I supposed to…" His voice started to break, tears started to come down his cheeks. "How am I supposed to just sit back and watch while everyone else competes? We were supposed to do this together!"

It broke Otabek's heart, and he hated that there was nothing he could do to help him. He couldn't make the injury go away. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, reaching a hand up and gently petting Yuri's hair.

Yuri shook his head. "I - I don't know…" he said, leaning into him. It was silent for a moment until Potya jumped up, curling up into her Papa's lap. Yuri reached a hand up to pet her soft fur.

"Do you want me to stay home with you?"

"What?" He could feel Yuri's eyes on him. Otabek would do it, if Yuri asked him to. Yes, he wanted to make a name for Kazakhstan and this was his first Olympics, too, but… If Yuri asked, he would withdraw in a heartbeat to stay home and take care of him. "No, that's not… that's not what I want."

He nodded. "Okay, Yuratchka, what do you want?" he asked.

"I want… If I can't be there to kick their asses, then… do it for me?" Otabek looked down at him, meeting Yuri's eyes. "Kick ass at the Olympics for me." A small smile crossed Otabek's face. That sounded a lot more like the Yuri he knew and loved. It was the least he could do.

Otabek stood on the ice for the short program. His group included Christophe Giacometti, Yuuri Katsuki, Viktor Nikiforov, Jean-Jacques Leroy, and Phichit Chulanont. He skated third in the group. As his name was announced before the warmup, he was looking for Yuri the entire time. He was sitting with his mother and older sister in the audience with the families of the other skaters. He didn't see him, but as he was doing his warm-up, he heard him as his name was announced again.

"The next skater in this warm-up group represents Kazakhstan, Otabek Altin." As the words were translated into Korean, he heard that familiar yell - Yuri. "He is the 2016 World Bronze Medalist, a two-time Four Continents medalist, the 2017 Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist, a two-time Junior World Medalist, and a two-time Kazakhstan National Champion." He was coming back around, and then he saw him. Yuri was screaming for him, and he saw that flash of blond hair. A smile crossed his face.

After the warm-up ended, he skated to the boards, putting on his skate guards and heading back. He took off his skates and continued to stay warm as he prepared to go back out on the ice. When he got back out onto the ice, he tried to drown out the sound of JJ's scores as they were announced but failed. "And the scores, please… the short program score for Jean-Jacques Leroy of Canada… 114.95. He is currently in first place."

Forget it, Altin, think about Yuri. He had to do this. He had to kick ass for Yuri. He had promised him. "Our next skater represents Kazakhstan…. Ladies and Gentlemen, give a round of applause for Otabek Altin." As he skated, everything seemed to click. He thought about Yuri's face through every jump, every step, every spin. When he ended in his final pose, he had never felt so good after a skate. The only thing that would make it better is if Yuri was competing with him.

This would have to do.

Otabek skated off the ice, putting on his skate guards as his coach told him what a good job he had done. He made his way over to the Kiss & Cry, as he waited for his scores. "The scores please… the short program score for Otabek Altin of Kazakhstan… 116.37." He couldn't keep the shock or happiness off his face. That was a personal best! The perfect time to do it. "He is currently in first place." That thought hadn't occurred to him, either, but he was in first place with three skaters left to skate.

Regardless of where he ended up, he was very proud of what he had done. He knew Yuri would be, too.

Otabek went backstage, and took off his skates, sitting around to wait for the final three skaters to skate. He had taken a moment to get out his phone to text Yuri and found several messages from him.

Yuri

OMG you look so good out there

Yuri

your warm up looked awesome!

Yuri

don't worry about JJ; you'll do great!

Yuri

that program was fucking awesome!

Yuri

that's your highest score yet!

Otabek smiled, immediately texting him back.

Thank you, kitten. I'm glad you approve. I hope I made you proud.

Yuri's reply was immediate.

You did. You were fucking amazing. I love you so much.

I love you, too, kitten.

Otabek watched as the final three skaters performed, and ended the night in third place. Third! The top six at the end of the night were:

Yuuri Katsuki JPN - 119.01 Viktor Nikiforov - RUS - 117.23 Otabek Altin - KAZ - 116.37 Jean-Jacques Leroy - CAN - 114.95 Christophe Giacometti - SUI - 111.05 Guang-hong Ji - CHN - 105.42

He had wanted to see Yuri right away, but he had interviews and the press conference so that would have to wait. He texted him, telling him to go back to the hotel room and wait because it might be a while. He hated all this shit, though, and would much rather be back with Yuri. It was part of the job, though, so he would do it.

Otabek was exhausted by the time he got back to their hotel room. Yuri was laying in bed - he assumed his mother had helped him out, but she wasn't here. The blond smiled as soon as he saw him. He went over, sitting on the bed next to him and wrapping his arms around him. "You were so good; you were so fucking good," he said. "I wish I had been skating there with you, though."

Otabek pressed a kiss to the side of Yuri's face. "I know, I know, but I did it all for you," he said. "You were all I was thinking about the entire time. I wanted you there with me."

Yuri kissed him firmly. "You're going to be awesome in the free, I just know." He kissed him again. "And then I promise you, next year, I'll give you a run for your fucking money. It'll be you and me because let's face it, Katsudon and Viktor will probably retire into domestic bliss. That's what I want - you and me controlling the figure skating world."

Otabek smiled, kissing Yuri back. He was glad to see some of his lover's usual fire. "That's what I like to hear." He reached a hand up and pet his hair. "I know this is so incredibly hard for you, and you're being so very strong. I will do everything I can for you to help you get better. Together, yes?" Yuri nodded.

Yes, together forever and always. No matter what.

The free skate was two days later, and Otabek skated last. He had to skate right after Viktor. Who the fuck decided that was a good idea? He skated last in his group, meaning it was a long wait for him. He heard Viktor's scores, too, as he waited for his name to be called - it was high. He was second, though. He didn't know who was leading but had to assume it was Yuuri.

He couldn't think about that. He had to think about Yuri. Yuri was counting on him. He had to do this for Yuri. As Otabek took his place in the center of the ice, that was the only thing on his mind. As he went through the familiar moves of his free program, Yuri was in everything he did, every move he made. He could feel the energy in his program building, and through every jump, every flourish, it all seemed to be right.

When he finished, the crowd was cheering. He pretended he could hear Yuri screaming louder than everyone else, though he couldn't. He skated off, putting on his skate guards before sitting in the Kiss and Cry with his coach. The scores were announced - 215.45. "He is currently in third place." Third place. Third place! He had a medal! He was an Olympic Medalist.

He couldn't wait to get done with the interviews and celebrate with Yuri, but they seemed to take forever. He knew that was how it worked, and that it wasn't likely to stop because now he was an Olympic Medalist. He would figure all of that out later. As soon as he got back to the hotel, he felt better. Yuri was there waiting for him with open arms.

"I am so fucking proud of you," he said into Otabek's chest, which was sure to be tearstained. "You were so amazing." Yuri lifted his head and kissed in between words. "You were perfect, and I'm so happy for you, and fuck that's an Olympic Medal, your Olympic medal."

Otabek chuckled, silencing Yuri with a kiss. "It was all for you, all of it," he said. "This medal, that skate, everything."

"I will be there with you next time, I promise."

"Then promise me you'll start taking your pain meds and doing your exercises." Yuri was silent. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You haven't been yourself lately, and I get it, I do, but you need to take care of yourself. You always tell me that you'll do it, but you don't, and you won't let me help you. I've been so wrapped up in everything, but I always notice you."

Yuri was silent for a moment. "It's just… hard. Watching you and everyone else do so well when I can't even fucking walk, I -"

Otabek pressed a soft kiss to Yuri's lips. "I know, kitten, but you won't let me take care of you."

"You've been busy."

"I am never too busy for you, love." He pressed another soft, lingering kiss to his boyfriend's lips. "Let me help you."

"I hate the medication. It makes me drowsy."

"Then sleep. If it makes you heal, then who cares. I know you hate it, but it's what's necessary for you to get better." Yuri nodded. "Will you let me help you now? Please, kitten?" Another nod from that blond head that he loved so much. "Okay. Good. Now, let me help you get undressed, then you can take half a dose now and then half a bit later, okay?" Yuri nodded, and Otabek pressed another kiss to the side of his face. "Let's go, then."

It wouldn't be easy, but like everything, they would do it together.


End file.
